Broncho Billy's Mission

This documentary traces the history of the B-Western from it's silent movie origins to its demise in the early 1950s. The film contains a large number of scenes from early silents and seldom seen films, as well as old photographs of the stars and one-sheet advertisements for lost films.

The custom of young women "tagging" men on the public streets (on a day specially set aside and called "Tag Day") to secure funds for various charitable purposes is the basis for this Comedy short.

The girl gets a job on the local newspaper and is sent out to get the story of one of the escapades of a rich bachelor. While she is on her way she determines to break into the house, because she is sure the bachelor will refuse her an interview. She breaks into the house and is blithely gathering the details of her story when the bachelor surprises her and calls the police. Just as the police arrive, the bachelor puts on a housecoat and an old cap. He looks very much like a burglar.

Ethel Walker and Tom Phelps are engaged to marry, but father objects. Later, when the old gentleman finds his daughter writing a note to Tom, promising him to elope, he calls in blacksmiths and has them put bars on the windows and grating in the door.

Pioneer filmmaker J. Stuart Blackton was intrigued by the idea of a film about the history of the movies as early as 1915. He finally released a 52-minute feature called The Film Parade that was shown in New York and favorably reviewed by "Variety" in 1933. He continued tinkering with the film for the rest of the decade, and later filmmakers and distributors used Blackton's footage for stock or to produce their own variously titled and truncated versions. -UCLA Film & Television Archive

Old Clayton, a ranchman, has a pretty daughter, Sue, who is loved by Dan Morris, a worthless cattleman. Clayton tries to force Sue to marry Morris, but the girl indignantly refuses, tells Morris she doesn't love him and goes to meet her real sweetheart.

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

Stan plays a mischievous and clumsy worker in a lumber factory.

Walking along with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes a training camp advertising for a boxing partner "who can take a beating." After watching others lose, Charlie puts the horseshoe in his glove and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.

Henry Aldrich wants to win a trip to Alaska.

Willie Duggans, a tenderfoot from the east, arrives in the wild west and soon experiences its violence. Willie discovers the easy money in bounty killing and must choose between that violent lifestyle and the love of a beautiful saloon singer.

David Morgan, a cowpuncher, is informed by Doctor Harding that the former's wife is in a serious condition and must be taken from the high altitude. An Indian horse thief shows David a way to make some money easy. That night, the Indian and the cowpuncher steal two horses. The Indian is captured by Broncho Billy, the sheriff, and squeals on Morgan. Dorothy, the cowpuncher's child, informs her father that a posse is coming up the road. Morgan instructs his child to say nothing to the men concerning his whereabouts. The cowpuncher crawls into the loft and pulls the ladder up after him. Broncho Billy enters, sees Morgan's wife is in a critical condition and asks the child where her father is. She tells him she does not know. The sheriff, hearing a sound above him, is about to fire his revolver into the loft, when the girl confesses that her father is above.

In their first screen appearance together, Stan plays a penniless dog lover and Oliver plays a crook who tries to rob him and his new paramour.

It's Christmas, and a young woman is on her way to celebrate the holidays with her parents. A group of drunk cowboys startle her horses making her wagon, with the woman on it, speed off. By chance Broncho Billy saves her life and the grateful girl invites him over for Christmas dinner. Little does he know that the young lady is the Sheriff's daughter…

A rough criminal gets a second chance at life thanks to a kindly (and wealthy) lady saloon patron. But he hasn't gone straight yet, as he and a partner attempt to rob the home of a rich homeowner-- whose wife is asleep in the next room.

Mr. Flip flirts with every woman he sees, and ends up with a pie, shaving cream, and seltzer in his face.